This unit provides students with a comprehensive understanding and assistance in the diagnoses, management and care of patients with mental and endocrine disorders and cancer. Students will explore competencies needed to identify health problems and use problem -solving approaches to manage patient care. They are required to apply theoretical learning into practice and demonstrate therapeutic clinical nursing skills in patient care management. The unit enables students to demonstrate an understanding of the influence of pathological processes in human anatomy and physiology and the effects on mental, social, cultural and spiritual aspects, thus developing a holistic perspective to nursing assessment and care. Students will be engaged on clinical basis to apply problem-solving approaches to identify and manage health problems and to develop competence and confidence in applying advanced nursing skills. Medical Surgical Nursing is a core unit in the undergraduate Diploma in General Nursing program.
The Nursing Management unit introduces management principles and their application in nursing to manage health facility and maintain standards. Students develop knowledge with administrative and management skills and leadership qualities in health care setting and achieve goals and priorities required to organise work, time, supplies and manpower in any health setting to manage any health facility. This unit enables students to apply leadership and management qualities to effectively deliver quality health care with available resources. Nursing management helps nurses to gain knowledge and skill to manage a health facility and develop leadership and management qualities to effectively deliver quality health care. It lays a foundation for nurses who progress into speciality areas in Nursing Management.
This unit covers community health and education by working together with the members of the community towards a better life as depicted in the Healthy Island concept. It also looks at project promotion, participation and evaluation and the proper use of resources in the community to enable the students to develop knowledge and skills to promote, participate in and evaluate primary health care programs, with particular reference to programs in community (Healthy Island Concept). The unit reinforces the importance of the nursing knowledge and skills required for working and developing relationships with communities in order to ensure or work towards healthy communities.
The unit also covers the mental health of individuals in the community, the relationship between physical health and mental health and stresses that cause mental problem. During the rural experience, students will visit a nearby village to conduct a village health needs assessment using their community health survey knowledge. A small project (using the available resources) according to the community’s needs should be set up by the community with the assistance from the students. A summary of this project will be presented to their tutor on returning to the school. The project enables students to put their nursing knowledge into practice, to assess and identify problems and to work with communities to implement strategies or programs for health. The Community Health unit fosters the development of skills to participate in community health activities and programs to promote physical and mental health. It lays a foundation for nurses who wish progress into specialty areas in community health nursing.
Clinical practicum is the practical component of the undergraduate Diploma in General nursing program which is equally as important as the theory component. It provides an exposure into the field of nursing with practices and experiences in different health care settings. This unit enables students to utilize the knowledge, skills and attitudes gained in theory sessions and demonstrate competency in their skills performance.
Students gain knowledge, analytical and evaluative skills through actual clinical performance. They are assisted and coached to develop nursing knowledge, skills, attitudes and confidence necessary to become a competent practical nurse in a variety of health care settings. Each student’s performance and assessment for essential nursing skills will be done during urban and rural clinical placements. Student assessment is competency-based using the PNG Nursing Competency Standards which facilitates a positive process that enables students to meet the program outcomes. Students during their clinical placement are assisted and coached to reach acceptable levels of competence. Students will approach a lecturer/tutor or immediate clinical supervisor for the final competency assessments according to the given criteria in the skill log book. Students must complete all the required number of procedures which are included. The unit therefore ensures student nurses achieve the competency levels to perform safe and effective nursing practices.
Students will be placed in different clinical placement areas within an allocated time period as required by the Nursing Council of PNG. This will be done throughout the program with aim to ensure that all students enrolled in this program have gained exposure and experience in a variety of health care settings as required by the Nursing Council of PNG and are competent. All placements must be completed and all assessments from placements of two weeks or more must be completed in full (14 working days sick leave and 9 days compassionate leave is granted throughout the program if necessary but prior permission must be obtained, or, in a case of sickness away from the school, a medical certificate must be obtained).
Students are required to complete all procedures in the skills log book and achieve competency in each skill. This unit provides an avenue for a consistent approach to measurement of practical nursing skills thought and performed throughout the three year diploma in the Diploma in General nursing program.